Elastic figure that plays a sound when interacting with it

ABSTRACT

The invention involves an elastic electronic toy comprising an electronic module with sound and/or light generation means that can be activated by means of at least one sensor for pressure/force on an elastic figure in such a way that the module does not get damaged, and the acoustic and luminous signals do not weaken. To this end, the electronic module is placed in a hermetic case that is attached to the outer elastic case of the figure, in a cavity where the module is inserted and closed with a lid or cap with one or more holes for the sound to come out.

This application claims the benefits of U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/272,325, filed on Oct. 27, 2021, and claims the benefit of its earlier date under 35 USC 119 (e).

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention generally relates to toys and particularly to electronic toys that respond to actions such as pulling, touching, tapping, pressing or any other type of action to activate an electronic module that emits lights and sounds.

Protection is sought for the form in which the electronic module is integrated in the toy in such a way that it is covered by a cover that is connected to the outer case of the toy.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Toys play an important role in the development of children's cognitive skills. Toys encourage thinking in children and, therefore, creativity as well as a solid base to acquire knowledge. They are important tools that help promote children's intellectual, expressive and public growth. Moreover, they are basic devices to enhance children's imagination, feelings and inspiration.

Elastic toys have been available in the market since 1976. The most popular elastic toys amongst children are Stretch Armstrong, Stretch Monster, The Amazing Spiderman, Plastic Man, Incredible Hulk, Casper, etc. These toys can be stretched to their elastic limit. Any human action can be carried out on the toys, and they go back to their original shape.

A touch-sensitive animated toy figure is also available. The animated toy can move its head, mouth or any part of its body and can make an audio signal in response to the movement of its body. This is pre-programmed or based on a sensor situated on the outer part of the figure that is operationally linked to the motor control and causes the start of an operating cycle during a predetermined interval every time the sensor is touched or manipulated.

It is difficult to find in the market elastic toys that have an internal electronic module that emits lights and sounds. This is due to the fact that it is difficult to insulate the electronic module from the material that fills the elastic toy. Should the module be introduced directly inside the toy together with the filler material, it could get damaged.

In addition to this, it is difficult for the sound to be heard once the module has been insulated. Once the electronic module is insulated from the filler material, the sound finds it difficult to go through this insulating material, which results in a degraded sound signal that can hardly be heard by the person who is operating the toy.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The toy proposed in this application focuses its features on the connection between the outer case of the toy and the inner case, in such a way that the electronic module in the inner case becomes hermetically insulated from the filler material except for the openings carried out expressly for the sounds to be heard clearly.

The materials used, due to their nature, may allow the transmission of light from the electronic module, without this aspect being limiting with regard to the material used.

To this end, the inner case of the toy encloses the electronic module and acts as insulation with regard to the filler material and is attached to the outer case, making up the body of the toy and forming a cavity. The module is placed in that cavity and closed with a lid or a cap with holes that allow the sound to come out.

The inner case, the outer case and the cap would be fixed together using special adhesive material for elastomeric materials that guarantees that the three parts are fixed together without the filler material entering the cavity of the electronic module.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order to complement the description that is being provided and help to better understand the characteristics of the invention, as a preferred embodiment for its practical implementation, the description includes a set of drawings which are provided by way of illustration but are not meant to be limiting, showing the following:

FIG. 1 shows an exploded view of a set of parts representing a generic item with an insulation system comprising these parts.

FIG. 2 shows a sectional cut of the aforementioned insulation system where the various parts it comprises can be seen, as well as their location inside the assembly.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS

Even though the invention has been described with reference to certain embodiments, the experts in the technique will understand that several changes may be made, and parts may be replaced with other equivalent ones without deviating from the scope of the invention. Moreover, a lot of modifications may be made to adapt to a specific situation or material without deviating from the scope of the invention. Throughout the specification and the claims, the following terms have the meanings that are explicitly associated to them in this document, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The meaning of “a” and “the” includes references to the plural. The meaning of “in” includes “in” and “on”. With regard to the drawings, similar numbers indicate similar parts throughout the views. Moreover, a reference to the singular includes a reference to the plural unless it is stated otherwise, or it is not consistent with the description herein.

The various architectural components of this invention may be illustrated as various special- or general-purpose optical components. The characteristics and advantages of this description will become apparent in the following description. The specific embodiments described herein are only for illustration purposes and not intended to limit the scope of this description in any way. In fact, several modifications of the description, in addition to those shown and described in this document, will be obvious for the experts in the technique as from the aforementioned description. For example, specific arrangements and configurations are discussed, but it may be understood that other configurations are possible and still considered to be within the scope of this description.

This invention focuses on the structure of the toy, in which there are two cases, an outer case, of a deformable, stretchable elastic nature that is liable to go back to its original shape, inside which the corresponding electronic module is placed and connected to the outer case, resulting in an elastic item that responds with lights and sounds when a force is applied on the figure activating the sensors.

The force can be direct or indirect; it can be exerted by pushing, pulling, throwing, tapping or any other type of interaction. More specifically, the invention includes the insulation of an electronic module of a stretchable item that may be stretched within its elastic limits or may interact with any type of force and generate an audio and/or visual response. The electronic module may include one or more sensors that detect the type of force applied, in a similar manner to those already existing in other toys, but these other toys do not include an elastic case.

In several embodiments, the elastic figure has an outer part, that is, the body, and an inner part, where the electronic module is placed. The outer part of the elastic figure is made of a flexible elastomeric material. The inner part comprises some means to keep the electronic module in place. The area between the inner part and the outer part can be hollow or can have some padding to give the effect of soft cushioning, either liquid, solid or gas. In one embodiment, the outer part is closed. This prevents the access to the electronic module and, therefore, to the parts of the electronic system inside. In several embodiments, the electronic module is powered by a battery. In one embodiment, the battery cannot be reached from outside, therefore, it cannot be replaced by a user.

In several embodiments, the electronic module includes electronic circuits. The electronic circuit is made up of a processing system, sensors, a speaker and light emitters. The processing system is an electronic plate that has a signal processor that turns the pulses obtained from the sensors into audio and/or visual signals. The audio signals are pre-recorded sound samples that are reproduced at random or in a sequence when the sensors are activated. The audio signals may include a cry, laughter, a speech, a beep, a song or the like. In one embodiment, the audio signal may include just one signal. In another embodiment, the audio signal may include multiple signals, each of which represents an action. In some embodiments, the elastic figure is interactive. In some embodiments, the elastic figure may trigger a response from another figure or elastic toy. In another embodiment, the elastic figure may respond to and simultaneously trigger a response from another elastic figure or toy.

In several embodiments, the sensors include one or more pressure sensors or any other force detection sensors. The sensors are activated when they are tapped, struck or when a traction force is applied so that the energy received when stretching or striking the figure propagates from the upper elastic part through the filling between the inner case and the outer case to reach the sensors and activate the audio and/or visual signals for them to be subsequently interpreted by the processor of the electronic system, as described. In one embodiment, the sensors are placed together in the electronic module. In another embodiment, the sensors are distributed all over the elastic figure or in predetermined locations on the elastic figure. In several embodiments, the item may have different shapes, including a human being, with head, hands and legs, animal, bird, fruits, geometrical shapes or the like. In several embodiments, the colour of the toy is vibrant, opaque or may include a combination of colours, or transparent, allowing the use of visual signals.

The figures described feature a cylindrical object that represents a generic item that houses an electronic module. If we look at FIG. 2 , we can see that it is made up of a lid 201, an inner skin 203, an outer skin 204 and an electronic module 202. This electronic module includes sensors, signal processor, speaker, battery and light emitters. Parts 201, 203 and 204 are made of TPR-type elastomeric polymer or similar. These bodies are elastic and flexible when a force is applied on them, activating the sensors and giving rise to the emission of sound and/or light. Part 202 is a closed rigid body except for the holes that enable the sound to come out. Part 201 also has holes to enable the sound to come out. The way in which the case encloses the module and connects with the outer skin can be seen in the sectional view. Parts 101, 103 and 104 are glued to each other, closing the module hermetically.

In several embodiments, the item has a closed configuration wherein the electronic module 202 is placed inside the inner part 203 and sealed during the manufacturing process without using any external fixing elements, such as bolts, screws or fastenings. In several embodiments, the outer part 204 is an elastic cover, the inner part 203 can look like a bag and is attached to the outer part 204 from the inside in a predetermined spot and there is a filling between the outer part and the inner part. The filling may include fiber materials, polymers, sand, pearls, paper, foam or any material that can keep the toy soft and transfer the force exerted on the sensor

In several embodiments, the signal processor, the speaker, the battery and the lights are together in a single electronic plate. In one embodiment, the sensors can also be included in the electronic plate. In several embodiments, the components are placed in a preform that is filled with the filling material, the electronic components are sealed and subsequently modelled with an elastic material in a second process, which provides the final model of the figure. In some embodiments, the sensors are distributed all over the item to detect the force in the different areas and generate a corresponding response. In this configuration, the sensor is not placed in the electronic plate but in a different position and can transmit the data to the processor through wireless means or by cable and the electronic component may include a wireless receiver connected to the electronic plate.

The advantage of the described item is its greater interactivity and playability due to the closed configuration. The main characteristic of this type of closed elastic stuffed figures is their high impact resistance due to the fact that the figure is wrapped by the elastic material. The soft filling also provides the item with high buffering capacity, which results in high playability.

Even though the detailed description contains many specific details, these must not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the invention, but rather as illustrating different examples and aspects of the invention. It must be noticed that the scope of the invention includes other embodiments that have not been discussed here. There may be other modifications, changes and variations that will be apparent for the experts in the technique with regard to the arrangement, operation and details of the system and the method of this invention as described herein without deviating from the spirit and the scope of the invention as described herein. 

What is claimed is:
 1. Elastic electronic toy, featuring a hermetic case of elastically deformable, stretchable material that is liable to go back to its original shape, containing an electronic module comprising an electronic circuit associated to sound and/or light generating means; wherein said circuit can be activated by at least one sensor for pressure/force applied on the figure, where the electronic module is in an hermetic case in a cavity that houses the module and is closed with a lid or cap with one or more holes for the sound to come out.
 2. Elastic electronic toy according to claim 1, characterized in that the inner case, the outer case and the cap are fixed together using adhesive material for elastomeric materials.
 3. Elastic electronic toy according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic module includes more than one sensor for pressure/force applied on the figure.
 4. Elastic electronic toy according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer part of the elastic figure is made of flexible elastomeric material.
 5. Elastic electronic toy according to claim 1, characterized in that the area between the inner part and the outer part is hollow.
 6. Elastic electronic toy according to claim 1, characterized in that the area between the inner part and the outer part is filled with a padded liquid, solid or gas material.
 7. Elastic electronic toy according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic module is powered by a batter.
 8. Elastic electronic toy according to claim 1, characterized in that the electronic circuit comprises a processing system, one or more pressure sensors, a speaker and light emitters.
 9. Elastic electronic toy, according to claim 8, characterized in that the processing system is an electronic plate that has a signal processor that turns the pulses obtained from the sensors into audio and/or visual signals. The audio signals are pre-recorded sound samples that are reproduced at random or in a sequence when the sensors are activated.
 10. Elastic electronic toy, according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensors are placed together in the electronic module.
 11. Elastic electronic toy, according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensors are distributed all over the elastic figure or in predetermined locations on said elastic figure.
 12. Elastic electronic toy, according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer elastic case is made of a translucent material.
 13. Elastic electronic toy, according to claim 1, characterized in that the outer elastic case of the figure includes one or more translucent areas.
 14. Elastic electronic toy, according to claim 1, characterized in that the sensors are distributed all over the item to detect the force on the different areas, including means to transmit the detected signals to the electronic module by wireless means or by cable. 